May 2006

My best friend’s wife’s mom — which sounds like many more degrees of separation than it really is — was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This is definitely something to file under “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?”, and I truly, truly despise that folder in my life. His wife is going to participate in The San Diego Breast Cancer 3-Day to generate support. Do me a favor — c’mon, do I really ever ask you for anything? — and help them blow away their goal. They’re already almost half-way there.

… Pam was diagnosed with INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER on March 29, 2006. She always had NORMAL mammograms until one day when she noticed swelling in her breast, no lump! She went to the doctor who ordered an MRI which revealed nothing significant. They opted to do a surgical biopsy which revealed the malignancy. Since her diagnosis she has shown such grace. Her mission is to educate women that even when you don’t have a lump, if something doesn’t feel right, go to the doctor, educate yourself and be persistent. If she wasn’t aggressive to check this out early, we may not have had this fighting chance!

Can anyone tell me if I really need Java 2 Runtime Environment, SE v1.4.2_03 and J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 3? These things are ridiculous. Each one is over 100MB! What a waste.

Last night I finished Living It Up : America’s Love Affair with Luxury, by James Twitchell. This is, if I remember correctly, the fifth book of his that I’ve read, and it did not disappoint.

This book (and AdCult) should be required reading in high school. Dr. Twitchell travels to Rodeo Drive, 5th Avenue, Miami, and Vegas — bravely bringing his wife and daughter on investigative “shopping” trips, too — to decipher what exactly is it that draws us to consume, consume, consume … It’s fascinating and scary, revolutionary and eye-opening. Before you buy another $180 pair of jeans or $5000 purse, pick up a $10 copy of this book and learn why you want those things in the first place.

My girlfriend and I had dinner at Mr. Chow last night to celebrate her dad’s 60th. Paris was there with — apparently — her entire family. Bummer for them: They were seated on the much-less-prestigious right-hand side of the dining room. (We, of course, were on the left.) The paparazzi was in full force out on the sidewalk because Jessica and her mondo entourage were sitting at the table next to us. I could have sworn her little sister was there with her, but my girlfriend’s little sister told me it wasn’t her, and it’s a wise man that defers to someone less than half his age when it comes to matters of pop culture.